Preparing Your Toddler for A New Baby? Not A Problem at All!

Okay okay… Time to blog again while commuting. I’d rather use my travel time blogging instead of dozing and flipping my head with my seatmates hahaha.

When I was still pregnant with baby Kiehl, I was worried about how our eldest Jhaydii will accept her sibling. I was preparing myself on how to deal with it, even always prepared and asked Jhaydii how is she going to treat her baby brother. We kept on asking her, what does she like a baby boy or a baby girl and was answering baby girl kasi daw para magamit grown-up things nya and so she could have playmate. We always were telling her na although they will become two, she will always be our first love and that our love for her will not change.

And then came our baby boy. What’s sad is that, it was Monday and good thing a holiday June 12 when I gave birth. Jhaydii was still sleeping when we went to the hospital, she didn’t know that I was about to deliver, of course we didn’t want to disturb her in her sleep – t’was passed 2am of June 12. So sad that I didn’t even kissed her before we left as my contractions really were frequent and painful. And syempre, hinanap nya kami when she woke up 🙁

Then at the hospital- I was thinking of her after I gave birth. How is she? Buti wala pa silang pasok, classes will start June 16, she together with inay, visited me on the 13th. Pero bawal ang bata sa ospital kaya I’m deeply saddened na di ko sya makikita. But wait, I heard boses bata sa room namin, nasa ward kasi ako and there were 4 of us there na umanak. So I heard batang boses, Jhaydii and inay were waiting for us sa hospital lobby, so I called inay and told her to ask the guard baka pwede sila umakyat sa room namin. And yey to that! They did! I miss our eldest so much! She was so happy to see her baby brother.

Here’s their first photo together.

And then that was the start of our struggle. Mothers, it’s hard to deal with it, promise. Yung hati ang attention sa panganay at sa newborn. I didn’t want her to feel she’s being ignored, I didn’t want her to get jealous.

And it was then that I realized we have an amazing daughter ?????. There was no amount of jealousy was seen on her. She loved her baby brother so much. Ang nakakalungkot nga lang, dahil maliit bed namin and only fits 3 persons, salitan sila ng daddy nya sa baba. But she is often there kasi baka mahulog sya kapag sa itaas. Pero kahit andun sya okay naman sa kanya. And from time to time, tinatabihan ko sya at night to put her into sleep.

Here are her amazing responses to our questions;

Mama: Baby is it okay with you to sleep alone in the baby bed and mama is not sleeping beside you?

JD: Opo, because Kiehl is still a baby and he needs to make dede.

OH di ba nakakaiyak.

There was a time na I am pretending to scold baby Kiehl kasi he doesn’t stop crying.

And madalas kapag may gagawin ako and we don’t have someone to look after Kiehl, I can leave him with his ate. Sabihin ko lang kay jd to look after her brother and just let him watch tv, or bantayan si kiehl while nasa duyan. She’ll sit near the duyan para magbantay. And nakakatuwa nung minsan – just last October. I was taking a bath, I left Kiehl with JD as bantay. Then I heard Kiehl cried, tapos nun, I heard Jd called her ate knocked at the door, “Ate Kim, ate kim – Kiehl kiehl is crying” and napakasaya ko to hear it, kakaiyak na at her young age makikita mo na responsible na syang ate to kiehl. She’s very understanding.

So having a second child is not a problem at all for us. I mean yung magiging feeling nung eldest towards the new one. But for me alone it’s a struggle haha. Yung di makagalaw ng maayos kapag gising ang little one. Need na tulog para hada sa paggawa sa bahay. Although husband is there naman to help pero iba pa din ?

So if you are having a second thought on whether it’s time for a second baby, well, fret no more about the effect on your eldest, madadaan yan sa dasal at magandang usapan. Kaya if I were you, go mama, sundan na agad si baby!